The perfect gardening smock. Available in linen or denim. A new venture by my friend Mickey Robertson at historic Glenmore House. Email mickey@glenmorehouse.com.au

Gorgeous rabbit and cabbage deckchair. Ideal for sitting back and surveying your hard work on the vegetable patch. (Or sitting back and watching someone else do the hard work.) £125. thornbackandpeel.co.uk

Peas in a Pod garden or shopping bag. $44. John Derian New York. (Also distributed worldwide through many stores.) johnderian.com

Spring-green wellies. Joules makes the cutest Wellies. Where Hunters are for the cashed-up highbrow crowd, Joules are for those who like saving money and having fun. Their wellingtons are not only cheaper but brighter, and beloved by country people who prefer some colour. £69.99. joules.com

Edith Wharton At Home: Life At The Mount. Full of gorgeous garden and interior design visuals showing the magnificent house and garden that author Edith Wharton designed. Amazon.

Flower cutting potting bench outfitted with a copper clad sink. Designed by the superb New England craftsmen at Hoffman Woodward. Snapped at the Trade Secrets Garden Fair in Connecticut earlier this year. www.hoffmanwoodward.com

Garden antiques galore. (And a gardener's B&B).Marston House in Wiscasset Maine must surely be one of the most glorious places to source unusual gardenalia. It's also a pretty B&B that's styled like a magazine shoot with antiques and other vintage garden bits. Created by architect Paul Mrozinski and his wife Sharon, Marston House has become famous for not only its lovely, simple-meets-sophisticated interior design style but also its range of products, which include vintage linen sheets, garden smocks in heavy-duty French linen, and textiles from France. They were at the Trade Secrets Show in Connecticut this year and everyone loved them.

And lastly, look at this chappie! This DIY scarecrow will frighten the scavenging birds away..£25 henandhammock.co.uk

Finally, there are only 4 places left on the Flowers, Frocks and Horticultural Fantasies Tour, so if you want to book, please do it soon! It's astonishing to think that the inaugural tour has almost sold out in just 3 days. A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has booked. It's just wonderful, and we can't wait to see you all. We have some really interesting people coming too – professional landscape designers, librarians, lawyers, teachers, writers, even a famous American blogger who's lovely. A delightful (and just-as-famous) Aussie blogger from Adelaide may be with us as well, but let's see how her knee fares. I'm hoping we can squeeze her in, even if it means taking a wheelchair along. The mix comprises gardeners from Canada, America, Australia and England, and I'm so thrilled that it's an international crowd. We also have some surprises up our sleeves for those who have booked. As it's the first tour we thought you should be treated like royalty. Even our travel agent is 'treating' us to one of the most divine places to dine in London. And we may have some amazing celebrity gardeners for you to meet... So there are lots of surprises for you to look forward to in May.

Due to the overwhelming demand, there will most likely be a second tour in June, for those who wish to visit England when the weather is warmer and the roses are out. Unfortunately the Chelsea Flower Show's 100th anniversary won't be on the itinerary but we'll find something lovely to make up for it – most likely the Open Gardens Weekend. So do email me at janelle.mcculloch@bigpond.com or our agent Jeanine French jeanine@caseytravel.com if you're still interested.

7 comments:

Fabulous Janelle...that garden smock is calling my name. Your tour sounds amazing...I just love seeing women coming together and making the most out of life. I am sure there will be many wonderful stories as a result.

Wish I could come as the tour sounds better by the minute! Dont tell me the famous US blogger is ??

I wonder what the initial reaction was when someone designed/suggested one of the world's most disparaged veggies for the umbrella?

Just back from Melbourne ..work this time. I thought of you (and a post you did of a walk in the park) when I marvelled at a massive azalea in the gardens where the Melbourne museum and Exhibition building is. Lots of lovely roses in Carlton gardens too.

Splutter, splutter, cough, cough - a wheelchair......I don't think so!!! I will be buzzing around those gardens on my new titanium knee unassisted thank you very much! Will know more on Nov. 26th when the Orthopod & I lock a date in for the deed to be done. My physio Scott knows about the FF&H tour in May & has taken on having me tip-top by then as a personal challenge. He is also the Adelaide Crows team physio (boo hiss, up the Power!!), but I'll forgive him anything if he gets me on that plane!Millie xx

Good luck with it Millie! Look forward to meeting you on the Tour!A couple of months ago had keyhole surgery to trim torn meniscus and jagged bones bits in the knee. There was surprisingly little pain. Lots of exercises from orthopod and physio. It's Wonderful what modern surgical techniques can do. But of course my job was very minor. My mother had two knee replacements. It took quite a while to recover but both were completely successful and long term it was a miracle for her to have the mobility and freedom from pain. Best wishes, Pamela

Janelle... These are wonderful gift ideas... I love the botanics theme... gorgeous.. The trip sounds amazing... and I do hope Millie gets there...: i have a feeling she will... You have set a challenge... :) Happy weekend... xv

FORTHCOMING BOOKS

LONDON SECRETS, an illustrated guidebook to London published by Images Publishing (US / Australia), late 2016/early 2017. (A companion to the bestselling PARIS SECRETS.) Now available to pre-order on Amazon.

BEYOND THE ROCK: THE STORY OF JOAN LINDSAY AND THE MYSTERY OF PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, a biography of the bestselling novel and the reclusive author who wrote it, published by Echo / Five Mile Press (part of Swedish / UK group Bonnier) in early 2017.

Plus a garden book for a major publisher, and other ongoing projects.

WELCOME TO THE LIBRARY

Janelle McCulloch is a journalist, author and photographer of more than 20 books on architecture, interior design, travel and gardens, including several bestselling design titles. OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.janellemcculloch-officialwebsite.com

TORY BURCH IN COLOR

NEW YORK IN STYLE (2014)

PROVENCE IN THE AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER

PROVENCE BOOK ON THE COVER OF THE AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER (NATIONAL BROADSHEET)

NEW YORK IN QANTAS MAGAZINE OCT 2014

NEW YORK IN STYLE IN QANTAS MAGAZINE OCT 2014 (Click on image for link and mini NY shopping guide)

PARIS BOOK & MIRANDA KERR IN THE COVETEUR

DESIGN IN BLACK & WHITE IN US VOGUE

DESIGN IN BLACK & WHITE IN US VOGUE

GARDENESQUE TOURS

www.gardenesquetours.com

A FEW NICE REVIEWS…

Take a stroll through the real Paris with Janelle McCulloch's beautifully photographed and gorgeously packaged book. Visually rich and totally inspiring, Paris is a treasure for lovers of art, style, design and food. Anthropologie New York

More secret addresses from the well-travelled Janelle McCulloch, Paris Secrets is an ode to the City of Light. C’est si bon! Australian Vogue

The City of Love can be grimy, chaotic and a rip-off but Janelle McCulloch gives Paris buff and shine. Lisa Carapiet, The Australian Financial Review

One of the loveliest books to arrive on my desk this year… Holly Kerry Forsyth (on Country Estates of Australia) in The Weekend Australian newspaper.

For Francophiles, Janelle McCulloch's words and photographs in Provence and the Cote D'Azur deliver a decent French fix. Anyone unsure exactly what appeals to so many about the south of France is most likely to be convinced of the region's charm, beauty and style after perusing McCulloch's photo-filled tome. Adelaide Advertiser newspaer.

The prettiest guesthouses and hotels in Provence… The Weekend Australian newspaper (front cover).

In her recent book, Design in Black and White, Janelle McCulloch writes that black and white is being rediscovered. One of the reasons for this revival is that black and white is impervious to fashion.” Simon Caterson, The Weekend Australian newspaper.

Janelle McCulloch's writes with the heart of a romantic. How could anyone not enjoy seeing Paris through her eyes? Peggy Kopman-Owens, Amazon.

I loved this book. It's definitely the most interesting guidebook for Paris I've ever read. She mentioned a lot of really interesting shops and museums. The pictures are stunning and her writing isn't half bad. (I really liked how she wrote about the character of each arrondissement.) Good job Janelle McCulloch! Amanda M. Amazon

If you haven't yet visited Paris, this is the book that will make you want to get there before you die. As you delve into the well thoughtout pages you will practically feel the Parisian atmosphere and picture the offbeat, out-of-the-way spots and the famous landmarks! In a word, this book is: Captivating! Angus & Robertson website.

McCulloch captures the delight of these gardens {in a book that] provides the reader with a wealth of ideas. Chicago Botanic Garden, on The Modern Kitchen Garden

Her latest book is a visual feast of more than 500 glorious photographs of both classical and modern designs. ABC Radio on The Modern Kitchen Garden